Broncos 'had an agreement' to shockingly land Shedeur Sanders before Browns ended his slide

Travis Wakeman

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Broncos 'had an agreement' to shockingly land Shedeur Sanders before Browns ended his slide image

Could the Denver Broncos really have been the team to bring in Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders if the Cleveland Browns didn't? It appears that it was a possibility. 

Despite an action-packed 2025 NFL Draft, a large portion of the talk and coverage before, during and after the draft centered around Sanders, a projected first-round pick who slid all the way to the fifth round. He slid so far that fans were legitimately asking if he would go undrafted, and it did seem like a possibility. 

According to Thor Nystrom of Fantasy Life, had he gone undrafted, the Denver Broncos had agreed in principle to bring him in as an undrafted free agent. The Browns took him with the No. 144 overall pick in the draft, ending any chance of that. 

However, if you look at their reaction, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry don't exactly look thrilled with the selection. 

There are those who say the pair acted this way after every pick the team made, but something is up. You don't draft Dillion Gabriel in the third round only to come back and take Shedeur in the fifth. None of it makes any sense. 

It would have been extremely interesting if he did sign with the Broncos. Sean Payton had this to say after Sanders wasn't selected in the first three rounds, showing support for the quarterback. It would make sense that Payton would have been interested in this move. 

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The Broncos certainly didn't 'need' Sanders with Bo Nix on the roster, but the team could have taken him to groom him as a strong backup or develop him into a player who could bring a huge return in a potential trade down the road. As an undrafted player, there would be very little risk involved, and Payton knows this. 

Sanders is one of five quarterbacks currently on the Browns' roster, meaning there is no guarantee he will make the team. If he doesn't, the Broncos could figure in as a team looking to give Sanders his next shot. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.